Prison Transfers Glastonbury Woman

A Glastonbury woman serving an 18-month prison sentence for her role in a hit-and-run accident last year that killed a letter carrier has been transferred from York Correctional Institution to a residential inpatient program in Litchfield.

Tracy Watson, 39, had served four months at York Correctional in Niantic when she was transferred to McAuliffe Manor at the old Litchfield jail on Nov. 2, said Brian Garnett, spokesman for the state Department of Correction.

``The warden of York Correctional Institution made a determination that this was an appropriate placement, which best addressed the offender's treatment needs,'' Garnett said Wednesday.

Ellen Ballos, the widow of letter carrier Simos ``Seymour'' Ballos,could not be reached for comment on the transfer.

Inmates may be eligible for a residential program placement if they meet a series of criteria, include being within 18 months of their estimated discharge date, according to a directive at the correction department.

Garnett described McAuliffe Manor as an intensive inpatient substance abuse treatment program, which requires a minimum six-month stay with a potential of up to 18 months at the facility. It is considered a form of halfway-house treatment, Garnett said.

But Watson's husband, Dr. H. Kirk Watson, said his wife was not being treated for substance abuse or mental health problems.

``She doesn't need any alcohol treatment and she doesn't need mental health treatment,'' he said Wednesday evening. ``I think it's just a continuation of her incarceration. The legislature has had some big pushes to try to empty the correctional facilities.'' He characterized the transfer as an administrative move.

He said his wife writes to their four children almost daily.

``She needs for the community to know that she is a really good mom, and a really fine lady,'' Watson said.

Garnett said that while she is at McAuliffe Manor, Watson would remain under the supervision and jurisdiction of the state Department of Correction. But she will eventually be eligible for a short-term furlough. The furloughs have the possibility of increasing depending on the offender's behavior and if the furlough is successful, Garnett said.

At York, Watson's husband said, she ``was well-liked and never had any infractions.''

In June, Watson was sentenced to 10 years in prison, suspended after 18 months, followed by a year of house arrest. She was convicted of negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, evading responsibility and failure to yield the right of way to a pedestrian in the September 2003 death of Simos Ballos, 39, of Vernon.

At the time of the accident, Ballos was crossing South Main Street in Manchester when he was hit from behind by Watson's SUV and propelled head-first into a fieldstone wall, authorities have said. Ballos died at the scene.

Watson stopped briefly, yelled out the window that she was sorry, panicked and drove home, police have said. She was arrested hours later after her husband called police.

Police found no evidence that Watson had been drinking before the accident, despite a history of alcohol abuse.